Mr Whelan travelled to Russia on 22 December and planned to fly home on 6 January, but was arrested in Moscow on 28 December.

Under the charge of espionage, he could face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

Analysis

By James Landale, diplomatic correspondent

There is much we still don’t know about the detention of Paul Whelan.

What are the precise charges against him? Did he really have a memory stick containing a list of Russian intelligence officials when he was arrested, as claimed by one Russian news agency but not thus far corroborated?

What lies behind his long-standing interest in Russia and engagement with Russian social media? And how many nationalities does he actually have – American and British, yes, but does he also have Irish and Canadian passports as well?

This lack of certainty about the facts makes Jeremy Hunt’s decision to accuse Russia of playing diplomatic chess games all the more interesting.

The foreign secretary’s remarks support the premise of speculation in the United States that Mr Whelan’s arrest is a strategic move by Moscow.

The suggestion – and it is no more than that – is that the former US marine could be exchanged for Maria Butina, a Russian woman who was jailed in the United States last month.

Moscow certainly has a track record of using individuals for unpredictable and aggressive diplomacy.

But Mr Hunt has shown that he, for now at least, is ready to respond robustly at a time when Anglo-Russian relations are still struggling to recover from last year’s poisoning incident in Salisbury.

Mr Whelan’s lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said he has appealed to the court against the detention of his client and requested he is released on bail. He added that Mr Whelan remained in good spirits.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Our staff have requested consular access to a British man detained in Russia after receiving a request for assistance from him.”